Zircon REE patterns and geochemical characteristics of Paleoproterozoic anatectic granite in the northern Tarim Craton, NW China: Implications for the reconstruction of the Columbia supercontinent

Detrital zircons from Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in the Yili Block: Constraints on the affinity of microcontinents in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

“…This interpretation is also consistent with the fact that Neoarchean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suites and Paleoproterozoic metamorphism are absent in the YB. However, such rocks are exposed on the northern and southern margins of the Tarim Craton and experienced metamorphism at 2.0-1.8 Ga (Long et al, 2012;He et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2013b;Ge et al, 2015). In addition, the YB and the CTB have sedimentary facies different from the Tarim Craton in the Mesoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic (XBGMR, 1993;Li et al, 2002a).…”

General Precambrian Geology in China

“…The Tarim Block occupies about 600,000 km 2 , whereas most areas were covered by the desert. The basement rocks are exposed discontinuously in the southwestern, northern, and northeastern Tarim Basin (Guo et al 2003;Zhang et al 2012;Long et al 2011aLong et al , 2012. However, it is the least well studied among the three significant Precambrian blocks in China.…”

New geochemical and combined zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data of orthogneisses in the northern Altyn Tagh, northern margin of the Tibetan plateau: Implication for Archean evolution of the Dunhuang Block and crust formation in NW China

“…Because of an extensive cover of desert recent deposits, Precambrian basement rocks are only exposed on the craton margins around the Tarim basin, e.g. the Kuluketage (also named as "Quruqtagh" in the literature) Block in the northeast, the Aksu Block in the northwest, the Tiekelike Block in the southwest and the Dunhuang Block in the east (BGMRX, 1993;Cao et al, 2011;Ge et al, 2012;Guo et al, 2003Guo et al, , 2005He et al, 2012;Hu and Wei, 2006;Hu et al, 2000;Long et al, 2010Long et al, , 2011aLong et al, , 2011bLong et al, , 2012Lu and Yuan, 2003;Lu et al, 2008b;Shu et al, 2011;Xu et al, 2005;Zhang et al, 2007bZhang et al, , 2009Zhang et al, , 2011Zhang et al, , 2012dZhang et al, , 2013aZhu et al, 2011aZhu et al, , 2011b. Among the Precambrian basement, Archean rocks predominantly consist of strongly deformed tonalitic-trondhjemiticgranodioritic orthogneisses (TTG) and metamorphosed supracrustal xenoliths, sparsely exposed along the northern and eastern margins (Zhao and Cawood, 2012 and references therein).…”

“…Supracrustal rocks of the Tuoge complex mainly consist of lensoid amphibolite and sedimentary sequences, an association of interlayered intermediate-mafic volcanic and clastic sedimentary rocks (BGMRX, 1993;Gao et al, 1993;Guo et al, 2003). Both the orthogneisses and supracrustal rocks are unconformably overlain by the Paleoproterozoic Xingditage metasediments and have experienced two Proterozoic metamorphic events at 1.9-1.8 Ga and 1.1-1.0 Ga, which are speculated to have a relationship with the assembly of the Columbia (Nuna) and Rodinia supercontinents, respectively (Long et al, 2012;Shu et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2009Zhang et al, , 2012bZhang et al, , 2012d.…”

“…Published data suggest that Neoarchean magmatic rocks and~1.8 Ga regional metamorphism also occurred in the northern and southern TC Long et al, 2012;Shu et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2007aZhang et al, , 2012aZhang et al, , 2012bZhang et al, , 2012cZhang et al, 2013a). Based on the calculation of Hf crustal model ages, our recent study of igneous zircons from Neoarchean and early Paleoproterozoic orthogneisses in the northern TC suggests that this area experienced two periods of crustal growth in the Mesoarchean (2.9-3.3 Ga) and Neoarchean (2.5-2.7 Ga) with two age peaks at 3.18 and 2.61 Ga, respectively (Long et al, 2010).…”